Margaret Pellegrini Obituary

PHOENIX (AP) - Margaret Pellegrini, one of the original Munchkins from the 1939 classic movie "The Wizard of Oz," has died. She was 89.

Pellegrini suffered a stroke Monday at her Glendale home and died Wednesday at a Phoenix-area hospital, said Ted Bulthaup, who owns a Chicago theater where Pellegrini and other Munchkins have made special appearances. Bulthaup said he learned of Pellegrini's death from her relatives.
With her death, only two of the original 124 Munchkins in the movie are still alive.

Pellegrini has said she was 16 when "The Wizard of Oz" was filmed. She played one of the "sleepy head" kids and wore a flowerpot on her head in the movie.

Later, Pellegrini was a guest speaker at grade schools across the Phoenix metropolitan area for many years.
She usually appeared in costume and told stories about her time as a Munchkin, The Arizona Republic reported. She also told children that the "Wizard of Oz" movie was a moral lesson.

"There are two roads in life that you can take - the wrong road and the right road," she said. "And remember, there really is no place like home."

When asked by the newspaper if the Munchkins had sung for the movie, Pellegrini shook her head.

The real singers were "adults, dubbed in," she said. "They just played the record faster so their voices would sound high."

Bulthaup had known Pellegrini for more than a decade and said she was an energetic person.

"She really had a very robust personality. She was a great lady," he said. "She was always on the move. You couldn't hold her down."

The surviving Munchkins are Jerry Maren, 93, who lives in Los Angeles, and Ruth Duccini, 95, who lives in Phoenix, Bulthaup said.

PHOENIX (AP) - Margaret Pellegrini, one of the original Munchkins from the 1939 classic movie "The Wizard of Oz," has died. She was 89.

Pellegrini suffered a stroke Monday at her Glendale home and died Wednesday at a Phoenix-area hospital, said Ted Bulthaup, who owns a Chicago theater where Pellegrini and other Munchkins have made special appearances. Bulthaup said he learned of Pellegrini's death from her relatives.
With her death, only two of the original 124 Munchkins in the movie are still alive.

Pellegrini has said she was 16 when "The Wizard of Oz" was filmed. She played one of the "sleepy head" kids and wore a flowerpot on her head in the movie.

Later, Pellegrini was a guest speaker at grade schools across the Phoenix metropolitan area for many years.
She usually appeared in costume and told stories about her time as a Munchkin, The Arizona Republic reported. She also told children that the "Wizard of Oz" movie was a moral lesson.

"There are two roads in life that you can take - the wrong road and the right road," she said. "And remember, there really is no place like home."

When asked by the newspaper if the Munchkins had sung for the movie, Pellegrini shook her head.

The real singers were "adults, dubbed in," she said. "They just played the record faster so their voices would sound high."

Bulthaup had known Pellegrini for more than a decade and said she was an energetic person.

"She really had a very robust personality. She was a great lady," he said. "She was always on the move. You couldn't hold her down."

The surviving Munchkins are Jerry Maren, 93, who lives in Los Angeles, and Ruth Duccini, 95, who lives in Phoenix, Bulthaup said.

Guest Book Highlights

"Happy Birthday Miss Margaret. Hoping the angels & old friends will help in your celebration of all your worldly accomplishments. We miss you terribly, and love you always. xoxo"- Carly (IN)

"Margaret, You were so special to us all. I will miss all our talks, hugs and the festivals you were at. Thanks for being such a very nice person to us all. You were so special. You had so much knowledge of the wizard of oz movie. I learned a lot..."- Gary Johnson (Champlin, MN)

"Margaret You will always be the "BIGGEST LITTLE PERSON" I ever met, You were the icon of the Pellegrini Family. Miss You."- Lisa Weber (Phoenix, AZ)

"I first met Margaret in Glendale during the Christmas season at Valley West Mall. My children were little, but they still remember her fondly with a smile to this day. I was the nurse at Maryvale, when Willie passed. It was a pleasure to have..."

"I knew Margaret from the Valley West Christmas time in the 1980"s. I also was the nurse who took care of Willie when he died. My children just loved her. It is a memory they have to this day and smile whenever her name comes up. She will be..."

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Published in The Arizona Republic on August 14, 2013

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